Crazy Hearts
by Bluestarshine
Summary: Wade Kinsella didn't believe in love, and then she swept through Bluebell like wildfire. Catherine was different, she was a breath of life, an untamed flame that drew him closer. With her, Wade found something that he didn't even know was missing; a meaning. And she stumbled upon a soul just like her own. Two crazy, hurting hearts in need of healing. Wade&Original Character.


**Hart of Dixie belongs to its respective owners. I claim nothing.**

* * *

The morning sun is soft and light as it sets down over the quiet, wide, empty road. This light highlights the branches and leaves hanging from the shaggy, tall trees. It paints the small point in an iridescent swirl of yellow and gold.

Catherine had been riding towards the small town of Bluebell since the previous night had faded, and the morning sun had risen. She had packed up her belongings in back-packs, tied them down to her motorbike, and driven as far away from the house that had never been home as she could. She had only stopped to fill up her bike, or have something small to eat. Bluebell was never in her plans, it wasn't the place she had decided to go but somehow she had been drawn here and the roads the she took led her here, and there was no going back now.

Unfamiliar roads, and no idea of the area, had eventually caused her to pull over to the side of the road and search for the map she had stowed away somewhere deep down in one of her bags. Eventually, she found it and studied it carefully as she was in need of a warm shower, something to eat, and a bed to sleep in.

After pulling herself back up on her bike, and sliding on her helmet, she gets back out on the road and follows the path that she studied minutes earlier. But it leads her down another wrong turn, this she figures out half an hour later as it leads her down a non-existent pathway surrounded by thick trees, shrubbery, rocks and no sign of civilization. Catherine pulls her bike to a stop again, sighs deeply with frustration, and removes her helmet.

Messy, dirty hair falls out of the helmet. She brushes her fingers through it before tying it back, and reaching for a water bottle placed in one of her bags. She unscrews the lid and allows the warm, but still refreshing, water to spill into her mouth and run down her throat. She finds herself longing for a cool glass of water instead, and this motivates her to return to the road.

She shoves the bottle away, and shuts her eyes for a moment as a cold breeze sweeps over her. It is refreshing and soothes her skin. The warm sun beating down on her soon replaces the cool breeze, and minutes later her helmet is back on and the bike has been started again.

Bluebell was going to be a holiday, the first one she's had in years. It would be a chance to relax and recuperate, while she attempted to figure out what was next and what was best. A part of her also believed that being in Bluebell might allow her a chance to sleep peacefully, because it had been years since she slept peacefully.

Catherine turns the bike around and retraces the path that she had followed minutes earlier. It doesn't take her very long to find her way back to the main road, and soon enough she finds herself back on the right track to Bluebell. The roads are empty, and quiet, and this allows her to move faster. But the roads do not remain empty, and the air does not remain silent, when she eventually ventures into the small town.

Her expectation of Bluebell was that the town would be quiet, and peaceful, with the occasional group of people moving through it. But instead if was alive with movement, laughter, large groups of people, cars and shops buzzing with sounds. She drives forward, her eyes carefully skimming over her surroundings as she searches for a place to stay.

This moment of distraction could have turned out worse if Catherine hadn't turned her attention back to the road at the very second that she did. Her foot hits the break seconds later, abruptly stopping the bike. If she had of reacted any later, she would have hit a pedestrian.

A young, light haired man dressed in a red and black tartan shirt and a pair of blue denim jeans holds his hands up in the air to her - indicating for her to stop. He'd been walking across the road when she had almost hit him with her bike.

She breathes out heavily, but just as she moves to remove her helmet and apologise he shouts at her.

"Did you think to, oh...I don't know - Watch the road? Huh?" he shouts, his hands raised in the air.

Next, he gestures to the road that he stands on.

"This is called a crossing. It's where pedestrians cross." he carefully enunciates each word. "Hey, I've got a suggestion, next time when you're driving you might want to keep your eyes on the road!"

He storm off in a huff before she can say another word, and for a moment Catherine considers going after him - but then he glances back and shoots a glare her way, and she swears she catches him call her an idiot, so instead she drives forward until she finds the Bluebell Bed & Breakfast.

Catherine parks outside of it, removing her helmet and breathing out deeply. She places the helmet down on the bike, and slides off, taking the bags off of the back of the bike. She walks down to the front doors of the building.

The Bluebell Bed & Breakfast is painted blue and white. Outside, rows of blue and white flowers fill the front yards. A wooden seat rests before a small pond, and large, neatly trimmed trees are scattered through the front yard. It is nicely decorated and immaculately cleaned and cared for. She moves up the front stairs, and reaches for the wooden doors.

Her eyes skim over the room as she enters it. A woman sits behind a dark wooden desk, which is the same colour as the wooden floorboards. The walls are painted white, decorated with many framed photographs. There are a tables, small and blue, intricately decorated with flower arrangments resting on the top. Small windows are placed throughout the room, allowing a great deal of light to sift through.

The woman behind the front desk eventually looks up at Catherine, because the bell above the door had rung as she stepped through it. She stands from behind the bench, her eyes noticeably skimming over Catherine, before she smiles.

"Welcome to Bluebell Bed and Breakfast." she smiles. "My name is Marie. How can I help you?"

"I'd like a room, thanks." Catherine moves towards the front desk.

Marie retakes her seat, tucking her blonde hair behind her ears. "Just for you?"

Catherine nods. "Yes."

She returns her gaze towards the pile of books before her, skimming over them quickly, before she glances up at Catherine once more. Her smile remains.

"I can give you room number thir-"

"Um, actually..." Catherine shifts in her stance. "What rooms do you have, that are the furthest from the town?"

Marie raises her eyebrows. "Honey, you're in the wrong place if you don't want to be near the town."

"I didn't mean it like that." Catherine bites down on her bottom lip. "I have trouble sleeping. Loud noises, and the crowds of town..."

"Ah." Marie smiles again. "You're looking for a room that will allow you to sleep without disturbance?"

"Yes."

Marie's eyes return to the booking paper down before her. "Well, I'm not sure if you'd be interested in this room as it's not the largest and is located at the back of the establishment. It attracts the occasional couples, but it's usually vacant."

A small smile spreads on Catherine's face. "Sure."

The size of the room doesn't matter to her, what matters is the location and whether it will provide a peaceful, quiet setting for her to rest in.

Marie leads the way down through a small corridor, up a set of wooden stairs, and up towards the second level of the establishment. Catherine follows her down a few hallways, finding that they are just as nicely decorated and cleaned as the downstairs area was. They stop as they reach the furthest room, at the end of the hallway. Marie pulls out a row of keys, and picks out the right key. She slides it into the door and twists it, turning the brass handle and pushing it open.

Catherine's eyes flicker over the room quickly, taking in each detail of it as she steps inside. Hard board floors. A plain, double bed set in the middle of the room. The bed is covered with an intricately patterned white quilt, four pillows and a brown and red blanket spread out at the end of the bed. A light brown railing runs across the top and the bottom of the bed.

The painted walls are a blend of the lightest lilac and softest blue. Against the closest wall, a few feet away from Catherine, stands a light brown, wooden vanity. The legs of curve in slightly. A mirror stands on top of a wooden support, resting between three small drawers of the vanity. There are two drawers on each side of the chair, which holds a plumped white pillow. A single vase of flowers rests on the top, filled with daisies.

Marie breaks her thoughts. "Do you like it?"

Catherine nods, but remains silent, as she steps towards a light blue door in the corner of the room. She steps towards it and opens it, pushing it open to find a small bathroom. A simple shower stands in the corner of the room, a dark blue shower curtain hangs on the rail. The shower is small and shaped like a cube. To the right of the shower stands a basin, with a small, square wall mirror decorated with a silver edge.

Small candles are scattered throughout the bathroom on ledges and benches. A bathtub rests a few feet to the right of the shower, on the right wall and underneath a large window where blue curtains hang and flow softly in the breeze.

"I like it." Catherine finally says.

Marie watches her silently for a moment as she steps out of the bathroom and turns towards the bed. She now takes notice of the two small tables set on either side of the bed, which hold two drawers to place her clothes inside.

The silence is broken by Marie. "How long did you say you were staying in town for?"

Marie's eyes skim over Catherine's dirty jeans, plain white shirt, and then eventually up towards her messy hair pulled up into a bun.

"I didn't." Catherine answers quietly.

She steps towards a pair of light brown French doors, which stand only two feet away from the bed.

"Ah, okay, then. Well, why don't I put you down for a week?" Marie asks, sounding slightly impatient.

"Put me down for a month, I might stay a little longer than planned." she replies.

After reaching for the door handles, she pulls open the French doors to find a small balcony. She takes a step out on it, and her eyes are immediately drawn towards a lake in the distance and rows of large trees.

Marie joins Catherine on the balcony. "Like I said earlier, this room attracts mostly couples. It's at the end of the building, and the balcony is positioned at the end of the room, so you'll have the peace and quiet that you wished for."

Marie then informs Catherine of the laundry room, on the bottom level, which she shows her to after they've spent a few more minutes in the room. After booking the room, Catherine returns outside to her bike and picks up all of her bags from the back of her bike. Six in total. All that she has, to show her life and what she's achieved, has been crammed into six back-packs. Some are filled with clothes, others are filled with dry snacks, and a few are filled with more personal items.

After unpacking one of her bags into a drawer by the beside, Catherine decides to have a shower. She strips out of her clothes, folds them up neatly and places them on the end of the bed. She decides to wash them tomorrow morning, as the afternoon is soon upon her and she finds herself longing the warmth provided by a hot shower.

The coolness of the blue tiles soothes her, as she bare feet settle against them. She steps inside the shower, shuts the curtain, and unties her hair before washing herself and her hair. The warmth of the shower soothes her, as she believed that it might, and she finds herself silently pleased that she packed her own shower items because the smell of the mango-body wash running off her body is a sweet smell that calms her.

She returns to her bed, and sits down on it with a towel wrapped around her body. The air is crisp, and the sun is not as hot as it was, and she finds herself drawn into the possibility of sleep. She slips into a large green shirt, brown pants, and curls up on the side of her bed. The breeze that sweeps over her is soft, and enjoyable, and it lulls her into a peaceful and well needed rest.

* * *

Seconds after he has finished cleaning up the tables outside of the Rammer Jammer, Wade briefly glances up and catches sight of Zoe walking down in his direction.

Wade nods. "Evening, Doc."

"Sup, Wade-ster?" she calls back, moving closer towards him. "What's up, buddy? Pal?"

He sighs and turns to face her. "What do you want, Doc?"

An unimpressed, slightly annoyed expression already rests on his face like he somehow knows that Zoe is about to ask him for something, or try to make him do something that he doesn't want to do.

"Can't I just have a chat with my buddy, Wade-o?" a smile spreads over her face. "Do I always have to do something?"

"Uhh...Yeah, you do, Doc." he nods, taking a step towards the front door.

"Oh, Wade." she sighs. "You're too funny. _Too funny._"

Wade grunts lowly in response, as he moves to step away from Zoe. He stops briefly as a familiar sound fills the air, and he turns slightly towards the right to catch sight of the same bike, that almost hit him today, moving towards the Rammer Jammer.

"So, Wade-ster...It's Lavon's birthday-" Zoe starts.

"Oh, no, no. I'm not getting involved in all that." Wade answers quickly.

He isn't interested in whatever Zoe is trying to plan for Lavon's upcoming birthday because they will celebrate as they always have - with beer and X-box.

"Wade glances past Zoe, who eventually follows his gaze, and he gestures towards the bike as it pulls to a halt outside the Jammer.

"This idiot nearly ran me down today!" he snaps angrily.

Wade only hangs around to see the drivers face, and once he is he can't deny that he is surprised that it isn't who he expected it to be at all. Underneath the helmet, Wade had expected a careless or stupid teenager but instead what he receives is something unexpected.

Her hair just reaches her shoulders, curling slightly. It is dark brown, but painted with shades of a lighter brown. She glances up at the two of them, a slight frown creeping over her face as she slides down off of the bike and sets her helmet down. Wade's eyes briefly skim over her black jeans, and boots, before moving past her long sleeve, dark blue shirt and eventually finding her eyes. Light green, and set on him.

"Ah, there he is." she says casually.

An immediate frown creases over Wade's face. "What?"

"The screaming man." she almost smiles.

His frown deepens. "Ah, there _she_ is. The reckless driver."

She takes a step in his direction. "I wouldn't call it reckless."

Wade takes a moment to consider her words. "What about...The bad driver?"

"I'm not a bad driver."

"You're not a good one." he counters quickly.

"Ooh." Zoe breaks the tension, a smile spreading on her face. "Nice boots!"

Catherine half smiles. "Thanks."

"How about.." Wade cuts over her. "Next time you keep your eyes on the road, hm?"

He raises his right hand and rubs at his forehead. "Alright? Can you do that?"

"Yeah, make sure you do the same." she nods.

Wade quickly turns away, muttering something underneath his breath as he returns inside. Seconds later, Zoe turns to Catherine and smiles kindly at her.

"I'm sorry about Wade. He's always cranky." Zoe says, extending her hand. "I'm Zoe Hart."

Catherine shakes her hand. "Catherine Clare."

Zoe suddenly lights up with excitement. "Are you from New York?! You're from New York, aren't you?!"

She laughs slightly, scratching at the side of her neck. "Um, no I'm not. South Carolina, actually. But I'm just going to take a wild guess, and say that you're from New York?"

"Born and raised." Zoe nods enthusiastically.

Silence falls between the two of them, but doesn't last long.

"How'd you get here?" Catherine tilts her head slightly. "All the way from New York?"

"Long story." Zoe shrugs. "The stars aligned, fate brought me here, and so on..."

"I wasn't sure if this was the right place to come and eat?" Catherine glances up to the large glowing words above the door. "The Rammer Jammer?"

"Sure, if you want food poisoning." Zoe smirks. "No, I mean...Some of their food is okay. I can help you, if you like?"

Catherine nods, and follows Zoe as she leads the way inside the Rammer. It's almost half full as they enter, moving towards the empty bar stools around the counter.

"So..." Zoe sits down. "How long are you in town for, Catherine? Or Cathy? Can I call you Cathy? Or C-Dogs?"

A small laugh passes Catherine's lips. "You've been drinking?"

She takes her seat down next to Zoe, who smiles at her and shakes her head.

"Not yet, I can't. I'm on call tonight."

"You're a doctor?" Catherine crosses her legs, pushing her hair back behind her ear.

"Yep." Zoe answers quickly. "One of two."

Catherine turns to her, smiling still. "You must know Harley, then?"

An immediate frown falls over Zoe's features. "I'm sorry?"

"I'm sorry, I thought that-"

"Harley was a doctor. He died, and left me half of his practice. I'm his daughter - the other half is owned by Brick Breeland, a real peach." Zoe responds quickly.

"Oh, I'm sorry-" Catherine starts.

"That's fine, you didn't know." Zoe smiles. "How did you know Harley?"

"I didn't. A friend of mine did."

Wade suddenly appears on the opposite side of the bar, his eyes skimming over the two of them quickly before he speaks.

"Can I get you two anything?" he asks.

Zoe smiles. "Cola, thanks, Wade-o."

He fights the urge to roll his eyes at Zoe, as he disappears and returns with her glass of cola.

"And what can I get you, bad driver?" Wade asks, setting down the cola.

"Catherine." she tells him.

A frown twitches on his forehead. "Uhhh..."

"My name's Catherine, and I'll have a whiskey."

"You sure you need that whiskey, Catherine?" he asks. "We wouldn't want it to influence your excellent driving now, would we?"

"Thanks." she says quietly.

Wade turns away from them, and moves down towards the further end of the bar to serve the customers down there. Once he has gone, Zoe turns to Catherine and finds that she's studying the menu.

"You found anything you want to eat?" Zoe asks.

Catherine shakes her head, a soft smile on her face. "I'm not really hungry anymore."

A slight frown creeps over Zoe's features. "I thought you were coming to the Jammer for food?"

"Yeah." Catherine sighs, picking up her glass of whiskey.

She swallows half of it in one mouthful, before releasing a sigh. "I just lost my appetite."

"Oh well..That's cool." Zoe smiles, sipping on her cola. "So, Catherine, you never said how you came to be here - or how long you'd be staying?"

"The trip was unexpected, to say the least."

Zoe perks up. "Oh! I just thought of a name. Catherine Clare. CC. You know, like the chips?"

A smile returns to Catherine's face, she swallows the rest of her scotch in one mouthful.

"Like the chips." she repeats, pausing after. "I think, I'm going to just head back to my room. It was a really long trip here."

Zoe feels a wave of disappointment wash over her, but she nods and smiles anyway.

"Okay." she replies kindly.

"I guess, I'll see you around or something?" Catherine suggests, standing from the seat.

She pulls out a roll of money and pulls out the correct amount to pay for it. Then, she takes a step back from the bar and glances up to find Zoe still watching her.

"Yeah." Zoe nods enthusiastically. "Awesome, I'll see you around. Whenever."

Catherine returns the smile, before turning away and moving out the door of the Jammer. Once she has gone, Zoe turns back around to find Wade resting comfortably against the bar with his eyes settled on Zoe.

"Why didn't you just ask her to marry you, Doc?" Wade asks.

"What?!" she frowns instantly.

"Oh, come on, Doc." he grins. "You were smothering her. I mean, I was down the other end of the bar and I felt like you were suffocating me."

"I'll have you know I was playing it _very_ cool." Zoe retorts quickly.

Wade doesn't answer, but instead raises his eyebrows which show Zoe that he doubts that she was being cool, or could ever be cool.

"Hey!" she sounds offended. "I can be cool!"

He nods quickly, his smile disappearing. "Sure you can."

Wade leans in and points to her chin. "Hey, doc, you got a little bit of drool-"

"Go away!" Zoe leans over the bar, and shoves him.

He erupts into laughter.

"What'd you do now, Wade?" Lavon sighs, taking the seat next to Zoe.

"Nothing. Nothing at all, just seems to me like the good doctor has a crush on a woman." Wade's grin only widens.

"Grow up, Wade." Zoe snaps back.

Lavon raises his eyebrows. "Whoa. Is Lavon Hayes hearing this right?"

"I thought we discussed this, Lavon?" Wade sighs, his smile disappearing. "Only crazy people talk in third person."

"Lavon Hayes isn't crazy." Lavon smiles. "Lavon Hayes is the mayor of this town and therefore he can talk however he wants."

Zoe sighs and turns to Lavon. "I don't have a crush on a woman, Lavon. Catherine is new to town, and we were just talking."

"Here..." Wade sighs, leaning over the counter with the cloth in his hand. "You still got that drool. Let me wipe that-"

"Don't you have customers to serve!" Zoe shouts, shoving him away again.

Wade's grin only widens. "You know, uh...If ya'll go out on a date, and need somewhere to come back to...My place is always-"

"You're so gross, Wade." she sighs. "Go away!"

"Doors always open, doc." Wade smirks, winking at her before turning away.

"So, uh, who's this new girlfriend?" Lavon asks seconds later.

Zoe draws in a cool breath of air. "Her name is Catherine. She's new, and she has these really nice boots. She seems really cool, Lavon. She drives a motorbike, and has nice clothes."

"You sure you ain't interested in her-" Lavon starts, eyebrows still arched.

She turns to him, shotting him a serious look. "Lavon."

"You know I'm teasing, Big Z." Lavon smiles. "So, if she's so great, where is she?"

Zoe pauses. "She had to go, she was tired."

"This early?"

"Yep." Zoe turns away, avoiding Lavon's gaze.

It only takes Lavon a moment to figure it out.

"What'd you say?"

"Nothing. We talked a little bit."

"And?"

"I may have given her a nickname, or several."

"No, no, no. Zoe. No." Lavon shakes his head.

"I was excited, Lavon." Zoe sighs. "I need a girlfriend."

Lavon hesitates before he quickly, agrees with Zoe. She does need a girlfriend to talk about all of her 'love life' problems, because he isn't that great to talk to and he doesn't offer the best advice.

"Yeah, you do." Lavon quickly answers. "What'd you call her? Maybe, they weren't so bad…?"

"Cathy." Zoe sighs.

He nods approvingly. "Not so bad. Not bad at all."

"Cat."

Lavon's expression remains the same. "That's okay. It's not so bad."

"C-Dogs….." she admits finally.

"Ooh." Lavon sighs. "On the first date?"

Zoe nods. "And then, um...CC. Like the chips. You know?"

"I know." he rubs at his forehead. "Just, er...Give it time, Big Z. You never know, she might be as crazy as you are. She might be more like you than you know."

* * *

**A/N: Hi there!  
This is my first HOD fanfiction, which I wrote sometime last year but didn't get around to really doing much with it until now...In regards to the show, I don't necessarily have a pairing that I ship in regards to Zade (Is that what they're called?) or Gade? I don't know, hahaha..I guess I just ship whoever makes them happy if that makes any sense... **

**Anyway, this idea came to me a while ago and I've been working on it ever since and I hope you enjoy reading it.**

**X**


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